U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson officially ended his bid for the White House on Friday after failing to win any of the early states in the race for the November election.

“There are a lot of people who love me, they just won’t vote for me,” Carson said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, where he was granted a standing ovation.

Carson had announced on Wednesday he did not see a “political path forward” in his campaign for the party’s nomination, and had not attended the Republican debate in Michigan on Thursday.

Carson is declining to endorse any candidate for the Republican nomination, though he said he has "talked to all of them this week".

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the retired neurosurgeon said the United States needs "trickle-down ethics". He said the ideal presidential candidate is ethical and accomplished, has clear policies and treats others well. He said that whoever can check all of those boxes would be a "great leader".

Carson says he will now be working on a project to encourage religious values voters to participate in elections.